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Sunday, 7 July 2013

The story would have sounded funny if not for the life that got involved. Or what would one say about the fight between two brothers over a woman that was inherited from a late elder brother, to the extent that the two living brothers would lay claim to the woman’s child, with one of them killing the other over the issue?

This was what played out between two citizens of Benin Republic residing in Igbo Aaya village via Ijio-Meso in Iwere-Ile, Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State. The elder of the two brothers, Kanso Ogunyale, had reportedly been living in Nigeria for many years before he decided to invite his younger brother, Sanya Ogunyale (25), to join him about two years ago.

Before Sanya’s coming, Crime Reports gathered that Kanso had been living with a woman as his wife. He was said to have inherited the woman from his late elder brother about 10 years ago. Though she had a child for her late husband before marrying Kanso, the woman reportedly found it difficult to conceive after her marriage to Kanso. With the belief that the pregnancy would still come, Kanso continued his marital life with the woman.

Shortly after Sanya’s arrival in the couple’s home, the woman became pregnant. Kanso was said to have received the news with so much joy, thinking that his brother’s coming had brought good fortunes to his home.

However, things took a new turn when Sanya started claiming the pregnancy of his brother’s wife, making it known that he was also ‘involved’. The matter was said to have degenerated between the two brothers as both started claiming paternity of the unborn child.

When the matter could not be resolved, the brothers reportedly went to the Baale of their village, Chief Adisa Olalekan, who was said to have given them an appointment for a peace talk.

Unknown to Kanso, however, Sanya had another plan up his sleeve, determined to make sure that he would be the winner that takes all.

On Saturday, June 8, which was slated for the meeting, Sanya allegedly laid an ambush for his brother along a bush path, and before that one could pull himself together, Sanya had dealt him severe blows with a machete until he gave up. Not done with his plan, the younger brother was reported to have dragged his brother’s body into the bush where he quickly dug a shallow grave and buried him.

His deed was exposed when, after leaving the burial site, he met other villagers on the way. The villagers were said to have wondered what happened to him when they saw his clothes soaked with blood. They were said to have challenged him but instead of responding, Sanya reportedly took to his heels but was eventually caught beside the place where he buried his brother.

Crime Reports gathered that he was taken to Iwere-Ile police station from where his case was transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

Police sources informed Crime Reports that the suspect confessed to the crime and gave reason for his action. According to the source, “Sanya told us that Kanso inherited a woman from their late brother since 10 years ago but she had not been able to get pregnant since the union.

“He further told us that when he came to stay with his brother in the village about two years ago, he started an affair with the woman, which resulted in pregnancy. It was the pregnancy that caused trouble between the two brothers as they were both claiming to be responsible. Sanya admitted that he ambushed his brother on the day they were to go for peace meeting and killed him.”

Efforts of the police towards getting the woman at the centre of the controversy to come forward to make a statement proved abortive as it was gathered that she had since disappeared, and her whereabouts had remained unknown.

Crime Reports gathered that the suspect had been charged to a magistrates’ court, Iyaganku, on a one-count charge of murder. The magistrate ordered that Sanya be remanded in Agodi prisons while the case file is duplicated to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.